So with the new season fast approaching, only three days away now, i have decided to do a preview of our season. I will make predictions and comment on the manager and the players. Hope you enjoy!
Predicted finish: 15th
After the unexpected heights of last season, i expect this season to be a much more normal season for the Spireites. I hear people every day saying we'll get relegated, we'll be a laughing stock, or we'll 'Do an Orient'. However, i choose to remain optimistic. We still have a great base of players, and despite the significant lack of backing from the board, we have a very positive and competitive manager in Dean Saunders. With the players we have currently, reaching play-offs again is probably out of the question, but i don't think we look like a relegation side. It could take us a while to get going, having lost so many of our top players which could cause lower confidence among the team, and also having an extremely tough opening month, playing Barnsley at home (8th), Sheff utd away (14th), Shrewsbury away (18th), Rochdale at home (22nd), and Millwall away (29th) could cause a slow start for the boys in blue. However, after settling in to the new season, and getting to know each other better, the team should soon start to play like a mid-table League One side, and any fears of relegation among the fans should start to lessen around January/February.
The Boss: Dean Saunders
Dean Saunders reached great heights as a player, with the Welshman playing as a striker for teams such as Liverpool, Galatasaray and Benfica. However, his managerial career hasn't been such a success. Saunders' first team was Wrexham, who he became manager of in 2008, while still being the Assistant Manager for the Wales national team. He led them to 10th place in the 08-09 season, 11th place in 10-11, and Saunders then left Wrexham for Doncaster Rovers ten games into the 11-12 season. Saunders was loathed by the fans in his first season at Doncaster, as they were relegated in April 2012. After being relegated to League One, Saunders led Doncaster to a promotion challenge which put the club in joint first place by early January, but then on 6th January Wolves were given permission to have talks with Saunders, and then he was confirmed as new Wolves manager on 7th January 2013. It took Wolves ten games to get a win under Saunders, and then they were relegated to the third division, on the last day of the season, for the first time since 1984-1985. Saunders was then named manager of Crawley Town in December 2014, and they then became the third side to be relegated by Saunders, when it was confirmed on the last day of the season that they were going down to League Two.
So not the best record for our new manager. However, he is an ambitious manager who likes to play attacking football. With the great football we saw under Cook last season, there also came frustration at times when the team insisted on playing 'Tippy tappy' on the edge of the box instead of putting a ball in or taking a shot on goal. However, Saunders is known for being a more pragmatic manager with a more direct approach, so he won't insist on playing attractive football, and will just want to win! I have belief in Saunders. I think he can help us have a solid season in League One and restore some faith among some of the fans.
The Squad:
After the high-profile departures of Tendayi Darikwa, Sam Clucas, Jimmy Ryan and Gary Roberts, it seems the main part of our brilliant team from last season is missing. However, there is still plenty of quality in the squad, including Dan Jones, Tommy Lee, Ian Evatt, Sam Hird, Drew Talbot (When fit!), Jay O'shea, Sam Morsy and new boy Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. Our defense looks solid, as apart from Tendayi Darikwa, we still have all the defenders that were in our Play-Off side last season. We also have young defender Charlie Raglan, who is a very solid back up, should Evatt or Hird be absent. The midfield, however is a worry. Apart from Morsy we have no real quality holding midfielders, and apart form O'Shea and Dan Gardner, there are no attacking midfielders who are likely to play the football we saw last season. However, new signing Dion O'Donoghue could fill the gap in defensive midfield, and Gboly Ariyibi and Ollie Banks are both young and eager to impress, so could help out in attacking midfield. In attack, we could do with one more striker. Ebanks-Blake is a good signing for this level, and Dean Saunders seems to know how to get the best out of Armand Gnanduillet, while Jake Orell is on hand as a good back up. However, we need a strike partner for Blake who is a proven goalscorer at this level, just to be sure that we have enough quality up front to bang in the goals.
One thing different about the squad this year could be the amount of youngsters featuring in matches, as Saunders seems much more keen to give young players a go, than Paul Cook did. Onovwigun, Mani Dieseruvwe, Gnanduillet, O'Donoghue, Raglan, Orell and Ariyibi have all featured heavily in pre season, and could look to progress this season, and fight for a first team spot.
Key Player this season: Jay O'Shea
With players like Clucas, Doyle and Roberts attracting all the attention last season, former Birmingham man Jay O'Shea was a bit of an unsung hero for the Spireites. Last season he made 47 appearances and was a massive part of Paul Cook's team towards the end of the season. He also scored nine goals last season, which is quite impressive as he played in midfield almost all of the time. He also has a habit of scoring goals when it really matters. I doubt i need to remind you that he scored both goals against Burton in 2013/14, which ultimately turned out to be the game that sealed our promotion to League One. Also, he scored two fantastic goals against Yeovil last season, which brought us back from 2-1 down to a 3-2 win, and this game was at a vital part of the season and probably went a long way to sealing our Play Off spot.
This season O'Shea will be our main attacking threat in midfield, with the likes of Roberts and Clucas gone. This means most movements will come through him and he will be the main supplier to the forward players, a job which he will surely do very well. He will also be looking to chip in with goals like he did last season.
Surprise player of the season: Gboly Ariyibi
Young winger Gboly Ariyibi found chances hard to come by last season. He didn't make his first proper appearance until we played Scunthope United away on February 17th last season. The main reason he played in this game was because poor recent form, and a loss to relegation battling side Leyton Orient caused Paul Cook to change the team around. To do this he gave Ariyibi a go in a League One game against Scunthorpe, and he impressed fans with his skill, pace and directness. After that he made a total of 14 appearances for the Spireites, some starting and some off the bench. He only managed to score one goal in those games but he still put in some very impressive performances, and his willingness to take on defenders was exciting to watch. After the departure of winger Roberts, the left midfield spot is absent, and that is also Ariyibi's favored position. This could cause Saunders to consider making the 20 year old former Southampton man a first team player. If given the chance, i think Ariyibi will prove his skill and make a name for himself, not only among Chesterfield fans, but among fans of different teams in the league.
So there you have it. My opinions on our up and coming League One season. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and please leave a comment if you have any opinions on this.
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